Step-by-step: quiz night

Quiz nights are a familiar sight on the fundraising
scene, but if you're running this event for the first time, our tip
and tricks will help make it the best it can be.

1. Choose a date and time for your event, and book a venue.
Confirm the format for your quiz - how long will it last, how many
rounds do you want, and what themes will these have? In two hours,
you can probably run about six to eight rounds, with ten questions
in each. Decide whether your quiz will be for adults, children, or
families, and agree how many people will be in each team - six to
ten should be enough. Recruit volunteers to help compose the quiz
and promote the event. You will also need a witty, confident
quizmaster and a few assistants to oversee scores and arbitrate any
disputes on the night!

2. Get a microphone or PA system, and a CD player if necessary,
and confirm that you can borrow tables and chairs from the school.
Approach local businesses about sponsoring rounds and ask whether
they can also donate prizes. If running a raffle or auction, seek
prizes for these, too. Decide whether you will serve food, and if
this will be prepared by you or delivered by a local restaurant. If
serving food, include this in the ticket price and invite people to
pre-order, noting any dietary requirements. Alternatively, ask
guests to bring their own food and provide extra rubbish bags.

3. Spread the word using posters (see below), flyers, letters
and social media. Sell tickets for £3-5 each, and up to £10 if
providing food. Encourage year or class reps to seek out teammates.
Find a scoreboard so that everyone can see who's in the lead after
each round - this should help maintain excitement and encourage
some competitive spirit!

4. Prepare quiz sheets and source pencils - if you think you can
get away with it, charge teams 50p for these! Finalise which
refreshments will be provided and who will be in charge of buying
this and serving it on the night. Remember that any sale or supply
of alcohol, even if included in the ticket price, will require a
TEN - read advice on submitting a TEN here. Submit an
application to your local council at least 10 working days before
your event.

5. Arrive early to set up your venue. If running a raffle or
auction, encourage guests to buy tickets or place bids as they
arrive, then announce winners at the end. Run
interval games to boost profits, and encourage teams to
complete a table quiz between rounds, with the incentive of earning
extra points.

6. Have a post-event debrief with your team to discuss what
worked well and what might need tweaking. Cultivate relationships
with sponsors by sending them thank you letters detailing how much
the event raised and how this has contributed towards your
fundraising goal.

Quiz night tips and advice

Licensing: If selling or supplying alcohol at
your event, you will need a TEN (England and Wales). Allow at least
ten working days between submitting your request and your event
date. If you plan to play music and your event is held on school
premises, your PTA will not require a separate PRS for Music or
PPL, as you will be covered by the school's licences.

Quiz questions: Tailor your quiz to suit your
audience. If running a family quiz, ensure that each round has a
few questions that children can answer. Be imaginative when
selecting topics - as well as the usual sport, history and
geography, include spelling tests and a famous faces picture round.
Run a table quiz, and give teams the chance to play a joker that
will allow them to earn double points for the round in question.
There are numerous sites offering quiz questions - try quiz-zone.co.uk or brainboxquizzes. Make sure you're confident of
your facts and avoid any questions which may be open to
interpretation! And remember to prepare a tie-break question.

Boost profits: Increase revenue by serving
food such as fish and chips or pizzas that can be pre-ordered and
delivered. Interval games are also popular - not only will they
provide a cash benefit, but should offer lots of laughs, too. Seek
sponsorship for each round by relevant local businesses - a travel
agent might sponsor the geography round for example. Encourage
guests to take part in a game of 'heads or tails', and run a £50
grid. Find ideas for interval games here.

For more information

There are several issues to consider relating to insurance,
licences, etc. See our Event Planning Checklist for more details.

The above is intended as guidance only. We
recommend that you contact the relevant organisations with specific
reference to insurance, legal, health and safety and child
protection requirements. Community Inspired Ltd cannot be held
responsible for any decisions or actions taken by a PTA, based on
the guidance provided.